Dear Black Jesus,

Thank you for allowing Fam-Lay to bring forth new material on a somewhat consistent basis. Read the rest of this entry »

Fam-Lay and Chad Hugo appear at about the same frequency so it makes total sense they show up together for “Beach Cruiser.” The track sounds like a relic from the time when Star Trek had production credits on any and everything relevant Read the rest of this entry »

Virginia’s travel slogan leads outsiders to believe it to be a warm, inviting place. Fam-Lay pretty much dispels the idea on “Look Into My Eyes” Read the rest of this entry »

Fam drops a visual in conjunction with “What’s My Name” and the song and clip are answers in the form of what looks like a question if you’re only judging by the title. His makeup includes jail stints, baking soda, neighborhood gangsterism and heavy dependence on Norfolk, Read the rest of this entry »

Norfolk VA’s Fam comes through again with a new release, adding his name to ledger for rappers on parole looking to regain a buzz. Read the rest of this entry »

“Hustle all night cause we nocturnal, Knock ya ass off beat like a heart murmur…cause when them bullets flying, bodies lying and all the time, Be whole lot cryin’ and chicken fryin’ cause aggins dyin’.”

Aww hell. Seeing Star Trak’s Fam-Lay with a new track is equivocal to finding a forgotten $10 bill in those pants you wore last weekend – an unexpected, instant source of happiness to perk up any day. Read the rest of this entry »

There comes a time when listeners have the right to actually stop caring about rappers whose favorite lyrics are “coming soon.” But for whatever reason, Norfolk Nathan, a.k.a. Fam-Lay, still can garner anticipation whenever his name is brought up. Star Trak has basically been a Clipse/N*E*R*D operation, but it seems like Pharrell is finally making good on their deal with his upcoming mixtape Da Coffin. Read the rest of this entry »

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Download — Fam-Lay Feat. Pharrell Williams – “Get That Work Up”

It’s freaky freaky Friday the 13th and for most of us it’s warm. Even with the price of gas, that means windows down and riding. So here I am to give you a few options for your theme music.

This first song is one I have to give YN credit because before he hipped me to this joint I’ll be goddamned if I ever listened to anything Trina outside of the occasional radio single. But I’ve been listening to it ever since & I’m determined to learn Mannie’s lines in hopes that one day I can sing it to some chick @ a bar or that it randomly pops up in a karaoke rotation. Even if it don’t, it works for today because it’s got a Friday feelgood appeal to it.

Trina Feat. Mannie Fresh – Da Club

While we’re here, let me drop this other gem that blatantly & playfully jacks Keith Sweat’s “Make It Last Forever.” The Mind Of... album was real mediocre for the most part, but Read the rest of this entry »

A few weeks ago, the homie K.C. shot me this & it was much appreciated because it’s been gettin slow burn ever since. I couldn’t ever figure out who exactly did production on this joint, but either way Read the rest of this entry »

This was a virtual no-brainer.

With anything Neptunes/Star Trek related, I knew off top to give it to Matt from Am I High?.

So, when the opportunity to do a little phone-time with Virgina native & Star Trak representive FamLay I knew just who to call on.

With Star Trak’s having found a new home under the Interscope/Geffen/A&M umbrella in mid- 2004, FamLay has spent the better part of the last thirty months fine-tuning his much salivated-for debut album, DAT MISSILE, to a pulp. He is now ready, eager even, to unleash his sterling opus on the world. DAT MISSLE, so named for the potent heroin trafficked on the streets of Virginia, is a cohesion of 16 gems – produced chiefly by The Neptunes with, additional production from DJ Toomp (T.I., Young Jeezy, Rick Ross), Three 6 Mafia (Ludacris, Young Buck, Mike Jones, etc.), and others.

Words by Matt K.

TSS: What up man?

Fam: What up cuz?

TSS: What you up to right now

Fam: Just working on shit trying to get the album ready, get it out and push it?

TSS: That’s right, you know we first heard you come in on the Clipse first album when you spit that freestyle, what have you been up to? It’s been a long time man.

Fam: Yeah, you know, the same shit man. Still grinding, making music, doing the same shit.

TSS: You got this upcoming album, why don’t you tell us a little bit about it? What you got going on with that?

Fam: Well I got my album coming out called Dat Missile, on Star Trak/Interscope. There’s a lot of shit I’ve been doing since people heard from me on the first joint. I put a single out when I was on Def Jam called “Rock & Roll” and we never put an album out with that on it so…

TSS: You grew up in Norfolk. What was it like, how did that influence the sound that you think you bring to the table?

Fam: For one, Norfolk is, well it’s Virginia. And we in the middle, we like the top of the south, bottom of the north, so we getting influences from both ends. And Norfolk is like the ghetto part of Hampton Roads. It’s like the hood part, the hood city. Most of the shit that you hear from me is being influenced from that. Like you never got to see that part of Virginia before. You got a lot of producers and MCs from The Beach, which is only like twenty, thirty minutes away but it’s like night and day.

TSS: So how did you get into rapping, was this something where you hooked up with The Neptunes and their style was from Virginia Beach, it’s different. How do you think your style will contrast with something where people are maybe looking for a more commercial sound?

Fam: Well at the time, when I first got with The Neptunes, it was at a time before it was cool to be country, before the South was really out there like that, and already me getting beats from them and them being on the production, it was already to the left a little bit. But like I said, people had never seen Norfolk before, and our slang,
and I’ve seen a lot of people take our shit and run with it, but that’s what I’m bringing. Norfolk, period. I’m like the Bruce Lee of Norfolk.

TSS: You were talking about how people weren’t really exposed to the South and all that. So when you were growing up or just developing as an artist, are there any other artists from the South in particular that you think influenced you or gave birth to your style?

Fam: Again, being in the middle, we got a lot of people, New York and the West Coast, we just listened to a lot of shit. I grew up listening to everything, man. All types of shit, like I had shit like Spice 1 in my deck, you know shit I probably ain’t even supposed to know about.

TSS: Man there you go, that’s the Bay Area…

Fam: Yeah, Bay Area shit. West Coast, New York, you know, just fucking with all this shit, man from Onyx to motherfucking, it ain’t no telling man, Magic Mike…

TSS: Yeah, Miami shit…

Fam: Yeah we was fucking with everything. I don’t know if you know it, but Hampton Roads, the part of Virginia where we stay, it’s like a military town, mainly, so we got motherfuckers from everywhere. Texas, Detroit, Chicago, all over you know? So it’s diverse, you’ll hear a motherfucker coming through the hood banging some UGK, Geto Boys. Next minute you heard somebody playing GangStarr or some shit. Good music was just good music to me. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s always cool to be on the recieving end of some emails…

…especially when it’s new shit that ain’t out yet.

FAM-LAY Feat Clipse & Pharrell – “No Time 4 No’s”

Dingle & Young Easy may be finally appeased if these cats album, DAT MISSILE, finally drops.

Respect Our Fresh!